Google has signed an exclusive contract with provider of geospatial information for US national security, GeoEye Inc, under which GeoEye will supply the search giant with imagery from GeoEye-1 satellite.

On Saturday GeoEye said that it had successfully launched and deployed the world's highest resolution commercial Earth-imaging satellite, the GeoEye-1.

The 4,300-pound GeoEye-1 satellite, which costs more than $500 million, was launched into space into a 423-mile orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

GeoEye's ground station in Norway relayed the downlink signal it received from GeoEye-1 confirming that the satellite had successfully separated from the second stage of the launch vehicle and began automatically initialising its onboard systems.

Under the deal, Google will be the exclusive online mapping site that would have exclusive rights over the imagery, apart from defence agencies.

Google, which uses satellite imagery in its Google Maps and Google Earth, has imagery spanning 15 square meters per pixel, which is only good enough to see larger geographic features.

In contrast the GeoEye-1 satellite will be able to provide a high-resolution 25cm, or about 9.75 inches with digital "pan-sharpened" format surface area equal to that of about New Mexico.

The GeoEye-1 satellite will have the highest ground resolution colour imagery available in the commercial marketplace which will produce high-quality imagery with a very accurate geolocation and will start generating data for the commercial market in 45-60 days' time.

GeoEye-1 is capable of collecting 0.41-meter ground resolution black-and-white (panchromatic) images and 1.65-meter color (multispectral) images. Designed to take digital images of the Earth from 423 miles (681 kilometers) and will move at a speed of about four-and-a-half miles (seven kilometers) per second.

The satellite camera can distinguish objects on the Earth's surface as small as 0.41-meter or 16 inches in size. It can pick up a football ball in a stadium --- people who hang their washed linen outside their windows better be careful of what they hang outside!

Due to US licensing restrictions commercial customers will get access to imagery at half-meter ground resolutions only.

GeoEye-1 will help an extensive group of industries including national defense and intelligence, online mapping, state and local governments, environmental monitoring and land use management, oil and gas, utilities, disaster management, insurance and others.

GeoEye-1 was built by General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems in Gilbert, Arizona, the imaging system was built by ITT in Rochester, NY, and Boeing Launch Services provided the rocket.

GeoEye-1 is part of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) 'NextView' programme. The 'NextView' programme is designed to ensure that the NGA has access to commercial imagery in support of its mission to provide timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security.

GeoEye won its $500-million NextView contract in September 2004 and was able to build and launch GeoEye-1 without any contract cost overruns in less than four years after contract award.

GeoEye is the premier provider of geospatial information for the national security community, strategic partners, resellers and commercial customers to help them better map, measure and monitor the world.

It is a recognised imagery expert for delivering reliable service and the exceptional quality of its imagery products and solutions.

It operates a constellation of Earth imaging satellites, mapping aircraft and has an international network of ground stations, a robust imagery archive, and advanced imagery processing capabilities for developing innovative geospatial products and solutions.